Thanksgiving 2014 at the Cottage

May this Thanksgiving be
 

a time that overflows with happiness...

And may the beauty of this season warm your heart
 

 in all the days that follow

"His children will be mighty in the land;

 the generation of the upright will be blessed."

 

Psalm 112:2

 

 



This Needlepoint piece was
a gift from a sweet friend
 

 

 Keep striving for simplicity,
joy, and peace.

And never give up!






Armoire topped with Leaves and
Autumn Accents






To Be Prepared...

Meat, Giblets, Celery,
 Onions for the
Dressing



A Messy Kitchen equals
a Delicious Dinner!





It began to snow and the boys begged to go
out and play...
how perfect!
 

The Antique Hutch is dressed for
Autumn



Our Foyer

Designed to Welcome Warmly

Wedding promises remain in site...

Accented with fall leaves



We dressed the Turkey with
braided peppered bacon
and fruit.

before applying the bacon,
I rubbed the bird with butter, and stuffed
Garlic Cloves under the skin for
seasoning.
Inside, I placed a quartered Apple,
a quartered pear, and 2 quartered yellow onions,
not to mention a whole bulb
of chopped garlic, sage, and thyme



I await the look on my dear Mother's face
when she beholds the
Dinner Table!

So many meals she has prepared for us...
countless thousands, no doubt.

Now it is her turn to be served!

The Dessert Table



The Children's Table

Buffet Style, my Brother, Curtis, and
Byong, our adopted Korean son
begin the Feasting



Teen's Table

(We had 23 total guests)

Just some vignettes...



Colorful Fruit/Vegetable/Nut Table



Fruit Tart and Apple Crisp



New Addition
The Hot Cocoa Bar

The children especially loved it!

 

 

What warms the heart?

Whole Wheat Pancakes with thick, smoked Bacon for Breakfast on a cold day.

I remember waking up in my parent's home after being away at college. The aroma of Bacon called me to rise and join my Mother for breakfast in the Kitchen.

 It is my goal to imprint the same type of memories in the mind of my son! We had a wonderful family day today... First Saturday Mike was off in months!

Childhood Sanctuary

Whenever I fall prey to the stress that adult life sends my way, I head to a place in my backyard... A Place where a special chair sits by my sacred garden. 

 

Among the birds singing their sweet songs and the butterflies being amused by the rosemary and thyme, my favorite childhood chair remains, basking in the beauty that surrounds it ... 

I am not quite sure when this old, distressed piece of furniture came into my life, but I do remember the feeling of excitement.  "Just for me?"  I asked my mother.  Her reply:   "Of course." 

Though the seasons change, my little special chair does not.  It survivies rain, heavy winds, and rays of sunshine; it stands faithful and often hints of Pride, knowing that no matter what my mood, it is there to preserve my childhood memories.  During the exuberant early days of autumn, as a child, I used to sit with excitement near our tiny pumpkin patch, wondering which great pumpkin was coming. 

My chair is the bridge to my past,-- an extention to days of innocence - when life was simple and the hug of my Mother was more than enough. 

 

As my Grandmother May sat near me in her own chair, reading a book, the strength of womanhood was instilled in me for life. 

Weeks will sometimes pass before I sneak in  a memory or two; but when it gets to the point where I need to deeply exhale, then inhale and refill my soul, I sneak to my backyard chair and rekindle the thoughts of yesterday, where a little girl sat with the marvelous world all around her.

Images of Summer

 “I have way too much time on my hands these days.”

 -Said no Mother EVER!!

"What is life?  It is the flash of a firefly in the night"

-Crowfoot

"Life is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
 It is the little shadow which runs across
 the grass and loses itself in the sunset."

 -- Crowfoot the Indian

"There is more to life than Increasing Its Speed."

 - Gandhi

I will never regret a n afternoon
picnicing with children" - Dawn

"We had mighty good weather
as a general thing, and nothing ever happened
to us at all."

- Mark Twain

"There is absolutely no reason for being rushed
along with the rush!
 Everybody should be free to go very slowly."

Robert Frost

"Life, itself is the proper binge."

-Julia Childs

And when the rain beats against my window pane,
I'll think of summer days again,
and dream of you..."

-Chad Jeremy